WHAT TO READ THIS FALL
“Hey, I’m looking for a feel good book self/biz development to read. Any suggestions?”
Here’s the thing - I excel at purchasing business growth / life enriching books. I love styling them on our coffee table, under bottles on our bar cart, on our credenza, on my bedside table. I love walking by them - enjoying how they look right now and the wealth of knowledge / comfort that they will inevitably bring once I finish up whatever I am currently reading.
But I’m not actually good at reading them start to finish and I’ve come to the conclusion that I am meant to stumble onto passages when I need them, to binge a few chapters when I crave a new perspective.
While I don’t feel any guilt about not actually finishing these books, when I receive a text like the one I received from my friend Thalita this week, I feel a tad sheepish. “Hey, I’m looking for a feel good book self/biz development to read. Any suggestions?”
But who am I to decide what you need out of a book.
So here’s a few I love in my own way:
Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
Let the Elephants Run by David Usher - “We don’t need to teach children to be creative; in fact, most of the time we just need to get out of the way.” (Note to self and replace children with ourselves)
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert - “All I know for certain is that this novel really wanted to be written, and it didn’t stop its rolling search until it finally found the author who was ready and willing to take it on…” (This line is magical and also haunts me as I continue to resit
On Writing by Stephen King - Basically a kick in the pants to produce garbage in order to get to the good stuff.
Books About Walking (Because reading about someone’s literal journey can sometimes kick start your own):
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
The Last Englishman by Keith Foskett
Fiction Escapism (When the days are getting shorter, find a book that takes place in an actual place that you love and be surprised at how much it can do for your mood). Mine happens to be Maine:
The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline
Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
